KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Some Malaysian umrah pilgrims stranded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia have purchased their own tickets to return home after a replacement Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight was rescheduled again to Wednesday (March 4).

One of the pilgrims, Mohd Nasarudin Kassim, 57, said flight MH159, which was scheduled to depart from Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport at 9.30 pm tomorrow (local time), had been cancelled and moved to Wednesday.

“I bought a Saudi Airlines ticket at my own expense to return home immediately, and several others have done the same,” he said when contacted today.

He is scheduled to depart from King Abdulaziz International Airport at 2.15 am on Monday (local time) and is expected to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 3.15 pm the same day.

Earlier, about 55 pilgrims under a travel agency offering umrah packages were reported stranded in Jeddah after their original flight early Saturday morning was cancelled.

Tensions in the Middle East escalated after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Saturday, followed by Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes on Israeli territory and US military facilities in the region.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reported killed in the attack on Saturday morning. — Bernama